Description of a new species of Zodarion Walckenaer (Araneae: Zodariidae) from Turkey

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  Description of a new species of Zodarion Walckenaer (Araneae: Zodariidae) from Turkey Introduction Zodariidae Thorell, commonly known as ant-eating spiders, is one of the most diverse spider families, comprising over 1300 species across 90 genera (World Spider Catalog  Citation 2026 ). Members of the family are distributed worldwide, mostly in tropical and subtropical regions (World Spider Catalog  Citation 2026 ). Within this large family, the genus Zodarion Walckenaer, is represented by 176 species (World Spider Catalog  Citation 2026 ). Currently, 157 Zodarion species are known from Europe (Nentwig et al .  Citation 2026 ). In Turkey, the family Zodariidae comprises 37 species in four genera. Most of them, 34 species, belong to the genus Zodarion (Danışman et al. ,  Citation 2025 ). Within the genus, eight species of the ‘ germanicum ’ species group are found in Turkey: Zodarion abantense Wunderlich, Z. bigaense Bosmans, Özkütük, Varlı, and Kunt, ...

DNA barcoding of scorpions from Kosovo, with the first record of Alpiscorpius dinaricus (Di Caporiacco) (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae)

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DNA barcoding of scorpions from Kosovo, with the first record of Alpiscorpius dinaricus (Di Caporiacco) (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae)

ABSTRACT

This study presents DNA barcoding data for Alpiscorpius dinaricus (Di Caporiacco) and Euscorpius hadzii Caporiacco. Barcode sequences were compared with publicly available reference data to support species identification, together with the evaluation of diagnostic morphological characters. Alpiscorpius dinaricus is recorded from Kosovo for the first time, representing a new national record and contributing to the knowledge of euscorpiid diversity in the region. Diagnostic illustrations of A. dinaricus are provided to facilitate reliable identification and to support future faunistic, taxonomic, and biogeographic studies. Euscorpius hadzii, previously known only from Prizren district, is now reported also from Bjeshkët e Nemuna Mountains (Western Kosovo).

Geci, D., Ibrahimi, H., Bilalli, A., Musliu, M., Strohmeier, T., Koblmüller, S., … Sherwood, D. (2026). DNA barcoding of scorpions from Kosovo, with the first record of Alpiscorpius dinaricus (Di Caporiacco) (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae). Journal of Natural History, 60(21–24), 1243–1258. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2026.2655404